Egg tray for refrigerators



March 23, 1948. 'A., C. JERMYN 2,438,443

EGG TRAY FOR REFRIGERATORS Filed June 20, 1946 QLQLQLQQLQQI ATTORNEE;

Patented Mar. 23, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EGG TRAY FOR REFRIGERATORS Arthur C. Jermyn, Brighton, N. Y.

Application June 20. 1946, Serial No. 678,051

Claims. (01. 211-143) This invention relates to an egg tray for refrigerators, and has for its principal object to afford a tray, that will hold a number of eggs in a minimum space and utilize a part of the refrigerator immediately under a shelf and adjacent to one side wall.

A further purpose of the invention is to afford an egg tray that can be removably suspended from a refrigerator shelf so as not to occupy space on a shelf, and is adapted to support a plurality of rows of eggs arranged one above the other in a manner to accommodate a dozen eggs with a tray of minimum length and width.

Another object of the invention is to afford a tray structure in which two rows of eggs are located one above the other and the egg-retaining walls are constructed so as to permit ready insertion and removal of the eggs, while affording a compact arrangement with lateral walls spaced at minimum distance apart and occupying the least possible area in the refrigerator both vertically and horizontally.

An additional object of the invention is to afford an egg tray of economical and practical construction embodying a support that is detachably suspended beneath a refrigerator shelf at one side thereof and egg-retaining walls constituting a unit that is slidably supported on and removable from the support, being normally positioned against a side wall of the refrigerator and quickly removable from the support when desirable to secure eggs from the tray or to replenish the supply.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts that will appear clearly from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the novel features being pointed out in the claims following the speciiication.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation showing a preferred embodiment of the invention in operative position suspended from a refrigerator shelf;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the tray and support removed from therefrigerator shelf;

Fig. 4 is a plan view;

Fig. 5 is an end elevation showing the eggcarrying unit and its support when separated, the lateral walls appearing in dotted lines, and

Fig. 6 is a' transverse sectional view of the support and upper part of the vertical wall of the egg-carrying unit removed from the refrigerator shelf.

The egg-carrying unit may be constructed in a variety of ways, and the detailed formation of the walls and fastening means about to be described form no part of the invention except as hereinafter indicated, and according to a preferred embodiment, the structure includes a vertical wall I provided at its upper edge with means for removably suspending it from a refrigerator shelf, as will be described hereinafter, and provided with a plurality of rows of concave oval depressions or egg-receiving cavities 2 and 3 arranged one above the other to accommodate two rows of eggs, one superposed above the other.

The egg-receiving cavities 2 and 3 are preferably formed in the vertical wall I by stamping outwardly the metal of the wall to the desired conformation as shown, each cavity conforming generally to the shape of an egg, being preferably wider at the bottom and tapering somewhat toward the top, so as to grip one side of the egg, while the metal between the cavities affords partitions that prevent lateral motion of the eggs after being positioned in the tray.

The two rows of eggs are held in the cavities against the vertical wall I by means of cooperating lateral walls 4 and 5, which may be secured to the vertical wall I in any suitable fashion, as for instance by means of flanges 6 riveted or otherwise fastened to the end walls I, which are integral with and bent forwardly from the vertical wall I. The upper lateral wall 4 is shown as provided with a bottom flange 8 which is fastened to the vertical wall I, while the bottom lateral wall 5 is shown as formed integral with the vertical wall I, and bent upwardly therefrom, although the lower wall 5 may be formed separately from the vertical wall I and attached thereto in a manner similar, to the upper wall 4, and the particular way of forming or fastening these walls in relation to the vertical wall forms no part of the invention except as regards the angular disposition of the walls and the formation of the egg cavities, which will now be described.

Each lateral wall 4 and 5 is inclined to-the vertical wall, preferably at an angle of approximately something more than 45 or at an angle that permits inserting and removing the eggs and causes them to be retained by the walls, and the lateral walls 4.and 5 are provided with concave oval egg cavities or depressions 9 and I0 respectively formed opposite to the cavities 2 and the depressions in the vertical and lateral walls are such that the eggs can be readily inserted into a pocket and are securely held without excessive pressure and Without danger of breakage.

The eggs can be easily positioned or removed,

and the formation of the pockets in the Walls enables arranging the inclined lateral walls at a sharp angle to the vertical wall and in closer relation one above the other than would otherwise be possible if the eggs were supported against flat walls having no depressions or cavities, .so

that thetray occupies a minimum space in the refrigerator both vertically and horizontally, and

V the eggs are positionedcompa'ctly and effectively protected against breakage.

It is desirable that the tray be removable from the refrigerator for ready accessibility, and to accomplish this, it includes a support that is detachably suspended from a refrigerator shelf, and in the structure shown, the egg-carrying unit is removably engaged with the support. The support is detachably suspended from a refrigerator shelf in such away that the egg tray is not subiect to accidental removal after it is once secured in place.

This may be accomplished in different Ways, and in the structure shown, the support comprises a tubular track or guideway I I that is open at the bottom throughout its length and terminates at its top in atubul-ar rib I2 ,of reduced diameter, through which extends a rod I3. The rod i 3 terminates at its rear end in a spiral hook it and at its front end in a forwardly extending inverted U-shaped hook I5, the end of which extends slightly towardthe body of the rod I3, as shown. The hooks I4 and I5 may be otherwise formed and secured to the endsof the support to permit detachably mounting the tray on a shelf.

The tubular track II and rib I2 are preferably formed from ,a single piece of sheet metal bent upon itself to grip the rod I3 and to afford the tubular track I I as shown, and the support when detached from the egg-carrying unit can be secured in place beneath a refrigerator shelf by first adjusting the spiral hook I 4 around a bar extending from front to rear ofthe shelf, and after. the hook I4 is thus positioned by a spiral or twisting motion, the inverted U-shaped hook i5 is lifted above and dropped over the front rod extending from side to side of the refrigerator shelf, the hook I5 engaging the cross-rod with a slight spring action to prevent accidental removal.

With the support thus positioned, it is held against accidental separation from the shelf, and is in position to receive the egg-carrying unit after the latter has been filled with a supply of eggs. The tray can be slid'forwardly' on the support without completely removing it and when in forward position, the spiral hook I t at the rear end prevents'the support from lifting due to shifting the weight of the tray to the-front end of the support. The support is positionable at either side of the refrigerator so that the tray can be located against a side wall and occupy a minimum space, and the egg-carrying unit is removably positionable on the support at-either 4 side or by inserting either end of thetray into slidable relation with the support.

To accomplish this, the vertical wall I is proand plate I1 extending through the opening or slot at the bottom of the tubular track I2, as

shown inFig. 6. When it is desired to remove eggs, the egg-carrying unit is grasped at its front end and pulled'forwardly to a position where it is easily accessible, or it may be entirely removed fromthe support, to permit removing one or more eggs or replenishingthe empty cavities as desired. In some instances, if preferred, the eggcarrying unit may be permanently associated with the support and directly suspended from the refrigerator shelf, by suitable hook members, without the slidable relationship between the support and the egg-carrying unit or vertical wall I. While the structure has been shown in connection with a particular embodiment, it not confined to the exact details herein shown, and this application is intended to cover such modifications or departures'as may come within the purposes of the improvement and the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with a support detachably suspended beneath a refrigerator shelf, of an egg tray including a vertical wall connected to the support and having a plurality of rows of con cave oval depressions, one row above the other, and lateral walls arranged in spaced relation one above the other adapted to hold two tiers of eggs against the vertical wall, each of said lateral walls being inclined to the vertical wall at an angle permitting insertion of eggs therebetween and hav ing a row of concave'oval depressions arranged oppositeto the depressions in the vertical wall.

2; The combination with a support detachably suspended beneath a refrigerator shelf, of an egg tray slidably mounted on the support and including a vertical wall having a plurality of rows of concave oval depressions, one row above the other,

and lateral walls arranged in spaced relation one cave oval depressions, one row above the other, 7

and lateral walls arranged in spaced relation one above the other adapted to hold two tiers of eggs against the vertical wall, each of said lateral walls being inclined to the vertical wall at an angle permitting insertion of eggs therebetween and having a row of concave oval depressions arranged opposite to the depressions in the'vertical wall;

4. The combination with a support including a tubular track, of hook members at the ends of'said track connected to the support, an egg tray including a vertical wall, a cylindrical shoe'carried by said vertical wall and slidably engaging said track, said vertical wall having a plurality of rows of concave oval depressions, one row above the other, and lateral walls arranged in spaced relation one above the other adapted to hold two tiers of eggs against the vertical wall, each of said lateral walls being inclined to the Vertical wall at an angle permitting insertion of eggs therebetween and having a row of concave oval depressions arranged opposite to the depressions in the vertical wall.

5. The combination with a support including a tubular track, of a spiral hook member at one end of the track and an inverted U-shaped hook member at the opposite end of the track connected to the support, an egg tray including a vertical wall, a cylindrical shoe carried by said vertical wall and engaging the track, said vertical wall having a plurality of rows of concave oval depressions, one row above the other, and lateral walls arranged in spaced relation one above the 6 other adapted to hold two tiers of eggs against the vertical wall, each of said lateral walls being inclined to the vertical wall at an angle permitting insertion of eggs therebetween and having 5 a row of concave oval depressions arranged opposite to the depressions in the vertical wall.

ARTHUR C. JERMYN. REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 15 1,227,444 Jeckert May 22, 1917 1,754,020 Hyde Apr. 8, 1930 2,061,065 De Reamer Nov. 17, 1936 2,188,044 Hickman Jan. 23, 1940 2,323,448 Brennan July 6, 1943 20 2,351,051 Kenigson June 13, 1944 

